Beer Guys Radio | Craft Beer Podcast

What a fun way to "work."  As is tradition, it's time for our annul Holiday Blind Beer Tasting, aka The 12 Beers of Christmas, aaka The Interfaith Holiday Beer SPECTACULAR.13 (so close to 12) beers, 7 beer drinkers, blind tasting and picking our favorites.  Mixed in with some fun facts about drinking and the holidays.The BeersN'Ice ChouffeSt. Bernardus ChristmasOmmegang Everything NiceOmmegang Everything NaughtyNoda Cheerwine Holiday AleBell's Christmas AleScaldis NoelBarrel of Monks Father Christmas 2018Delirium NoelPrairie Christmas Bomb!Highland Cold MountainHardywood Christmas MorningDeschutes JubelaleWe're taking next week off for the holiday break but we'll be back the next wek.Cheers, Y'all!  Happy Holidays!!!!Thanks for listening to Beer Guys Radio! Your hosts are Tim Dennis and Brian Hewitt with producer Nate "Mo' Mic Nate" Ellingson and occasional appearances from Becky Smalls.Subscribe to Beer Guys Radio on your favorite app: Apple Podcasts | G

What's your favorite brewery?Just before we recorded this week's show VinePair dropped an article about 30 of the best breweries in America.  These "best of" lists always bring out some controversy, but we're pretty happy with the spots from Georgia that made the list.  Any of your favorites get mentioned?As the holidays approach the Costco beer advent calendar is out again.  Folks seem to love grabbing this and then complaining about it.  I'm always cautious about a dozen or so random beers, they always seem to be about 50% duds in my experience.  On the holiday note, Miller Lite continues with some interesting swag.  They recently dropped a beer nutcracker, their beernaments are back, and they've even got a neon Christmas tree that smells like a diver bar.  Crazy.In the beer drama lane, as there always seems to be plenty of that to go around, Joyride Brewing sued one of its co-founders saying he diverted over a $1M to other businesses.  This comes a few weeks after the bre

Lawsuits and taxes and beer laws, oh my!2023 has been a hell of a year for craft beer.  Breweries continue to close their doors or move in together.  Like when you had to go back to your parents' house after college to save some money.  Shit happens and you gotta do what you gotta do.Bevana Drama and Trouble at Tree HouseCraft beer is no stranger to lawsuits but there are a couple heavy hitters lately.  You've heard us talk about Bevana several times.  Some of our friends breweries have partnered with them.  Well, things are not going well at Bevana.  One brewery claims money owed to them by Bevana forced them to close and file bankruptcy and others say monies are owed and promises have not been delivered on.  There's a lot to this one and it's just getting started so we'll keep our eyes open for more.  Also, a minority shareholder of Tree House brewing claims majority stakeholders paid themselves excessive salaries and amassed real estate holding while no paying proceeds to others. 

This new hop sounds fishy...With our recent love of tinned seafood we were pretty stoked to hear about Anchovy hops, and even more stoked to hear they don't taste like anchovies.  We'll have to find a beer with these soon.Y'all remember a couple of years ago when someone stole two truckloads of beer from Sweetwater Brewery?  Well, some folks in Memphis beat that by stealing "17 or 18 truckloads" of Twisted Tea.  What in the world will you do with that much Tea?  I can't wait to hear how this shakes out.Spice up your boring beerI'm not sure this is exactly new, but the internet says to upgrade your cheap beer to put a few dashes of hot sauce in it.  Some places really go all out with that like a Loaded Tecate or the Dressed Hamm's.  I decide to try it with a Three Taverns Beeps and gotta say, pretty good.On the note of spicy beers... remember when chile pepper beers were cool?  Habnero Sculpin, Stone's horrendous Crime and Punishment.  We loved No Label's Don J

If it's gonna be dark at 5:00 I'm gonna need more stouts.Oh. My. God.  I hate this time of year.  Set the clocks back an hour and I'm off schedule for two weeks.  I don't sleep right, day is night, up is down.  What is even happening here?Fortunately last weekend was nice so we hit some patios, drank some good beers, ate some oysters, and visited our local barcade.  Good times that we'll take advantage of while we can.The brewery closures keep coming.  The Brewers Association says craft beer is now a "mature market," listen in for more on that.  We saw Hippin' Hops close a location here in Atlanta, big news out of Austin as Oskar Blue's shutters, and after we went to press news came out that Ecliptic Brewing has been sold and while the brand will live on, the pub and restaurant will close.  We'll see more of that, no doubt.As it is the season and we are all for playing along, we discuss pumpkin beers this week.  I even drink one.  Madness.  Pumpkin beers aren&

Would you pay $250 for 25 ounces of beer?It's once again time for the semi-annual release of Sam Adams Utopias and with that, the slew of websites touting that it is illegal in 15 states.  Technically a beer, but drinks more like a spirit, and hits a hefty 28%.  Have you tried it?  What did you think?Along with Utopias we recently saw the annual release of Bruery's Black Tuesday and Founders teased the return of their CBS (that's Canadian Breakfast Stout).  We talked with Founders Brewmaster Jeremy Kosmicki about these big beers back in 2019.What's the deal with beer fests?Beer fests are a hot topic these days, too.  People are divided on whether they're still cool, if they ever were, or if it's just a huge group of nerds getting drunk.  We like beer fests.  Well, some beer fests.NA beer and bacterial growth, a bit of pee in your TsingTao, Alcohol and Loose MoralsA recent report says NA beer is a "breeding ground" for bacteria.  We get the point they're making, but

Oh, Spyglass has hazies alright, but there's so much moreJohn Wagner and Isaac Boucher from Spyglass Brewing Co. join us on this week's show.  They brewery made their name with their hazy IPAs.  Thanks to a recent expansion there's now a lot more on tap  Isaac tells us he's been enjoying brewing some lagers and playing with all the new hops.  We joke about people wanting more variety in their IPAs... as long as they're still hazy/juicy/tropical.  Good times.We chat about all the cool innovations in ingredients available to brewers now.  Modified yeasts (yay GMOs!), new hops, craft malts.  We're living in the future, people.  So much great beer out there.  Make sure to drink it all and keep these breweries open.To take things to a whole. 'nother. level. Spyglass has a Quad IPA.  We chat about the difference between a QIPA and a Barleywine, and sipping on those big boys.  We chat more on raw ales, maybe we'll see one of those from Spyglass soon. If you're near Nashua

We don't recommend this beer drinking challenge...Seems a guy in the UK has "challenged" himself to drink 2,000 pints of beer in 200 days.  I'm fully opposed to this challenge, but it's hard to look away.  Last I saw he was running behind as he didn't start off with the goal of 2,000.  So, to make his goal, he'll have to drink more than 10 pints of beer a day.  Ridiculous and dangerous.  I hope he gives up.Still controversial but less dangerous, VinePair shared an article discussing some of Reddit's polarizing beer takes.  Nitro beers, six packs, saisons, and candy beers are in the mix.  What are your thoughts on these hot takes?Much to Brian's joy, Ukraine has a tomato beer they've submitted for approval as a BJCP beer style.   As you may know, we dabbled with some sun dried tomatoes back in our homebrewing days with Johnny Saisoni.  We nailed what we were going for, and most agreed, but not everyone thought that was a good thing.Support better beer laws for

We have no idea what's going on anymore.Some of the beer (or at least alcohol) news we see is just insane.  Maybe we shouldn't judge too hard, we've all had our moments, remember Brian's BORG phase?Seems another ridiculous TikTok trend has people de-carbing their White Claws.  If you're gonna do that, why not just get some crazy flavored vodka and mix with some water.  I think that would actually be cheaper.  Madness.And from the "I shouldn't be surprised that I'm surprised" file, Ultra Right beer is a hit.  A special edition with Trump's mug shot on it apparently sold 20,000 six packs in record time. A little less insane, the popularity of hop water is increasing.  We've dabbled.  Hop Lark was on the show a few years ago and we've even made some hop water ourselves.  It's not really my thing, but Brian digs it.And we've got one last round of stats from this year's Oktoberfest.  They hit record attendance in 2023, but sold less beer th

Y'all, the Wagner Group owns a brewery in Africa...Yes, that Wagner Group. The story is crazy.  You'll have to stick with us til the end but we give you the rundown on this craziness.For some reason, we start the show talking about crazy sandwiches and stupid pizza with stupid toppings that are stupid.  The we get into a new take on Tank 7 that we can't wait to try, and other odd beer flavors that just workTilray finally complete their purchase of breweries and other things from AB InBev.  The breweries seem pretty excited about it.  For us here in Atlanta, home of SweetWater, that should mean a lot more brands on tap at the brewery.  We'll check it out and report back.Draft beer struggles but Voodoo Ranger is riding strongBrian's not been shy about his love for the 19.2 oz can, and he shares them each week for #LongBeerFriday on Twitter or, X, I guess.  But is the 19.2 part of the problem with draft beers decline?  We may never know, but that won't stop us from talking about it.

We remember falling in love with Hop Drop N Roll...Back before we started BGR, NoDa Brewing's Hop Drop N Roll was one of the beers we would mule back when we went to the Carolinas.  Pickings were still a bit slim here in Georgia and it was a banger of a West Coast IPA.  It still is, but there's so much more beer out there now.You'll notice (hopefully) that I'm (Tim) absent from this episode (show).  Brian noted it as "on assignment," that assignment was a health scare with my dear old (83) dad.  He's stable now, but not great.  Y'all keep send him some good vibes or send up prayers if you do that sort of thing, please.  Thanks.Fortunately, Nate and Brian kept the party going as they chatted with NoDa's co-founder and head brewer Chad Henderson.  They start the show off with some discussion on which generation drinks the most, with Gen Z really lagging on doing their part for the alcohol beverage industry.You look Gordgeous!Chad shares about their lovely beers, like

Are you ready for an extra long Oktoberfest?The official Oktoberfest celebration in Munich is 18 days long this year, an extra 2 days over the typical 16 to include German Unity Day.If you're celebrating in America that doesn't matter because we start celebrating in September and run all the way through October, and sometimes November.  Because if there's a drinking holiday we're going to stretch it out as long as we can.To get the party started we headed to Der Biergarten in Atlanta for the firs day of Oktoberfest.  The celebration included a whole roasted pig, an official "first" keg tapping, oompah music, and plenty of beer.We talked with Austin Edwards, head brewer at STATS Brewpub (STATS and Der Biergarten are both part of the Legacy Ventures family) and Jay Toxey, the Southeast Regional Manager for Paulaner USA.  We enjoyed Paulaner's Festbier and Marzen and STATS Oktoberfest during the festivities.  In keeping with tradition we learn a bit about Oktoberfest - fun fact

We're so busy festin' this year that we had to do an extra episode to work in our annual Oktoberfest blind beer tasting.  But, we're dedicated so we made it happen.We (OK, Brian) grabbed 5 German and 5 American takes on the the Festbier and Marzen styles and we blind tasted them and picked our favorites.  In keeping with tradition we had some big, soft pretzels (praise be to QT) and some brats, and a bit of fish dip.  We enjoyed these before and after tasting so we didn't mess up our delicate palates, and had some plain crackers and coffee to clear out our taste and smell.As always, this was a fun show to do.  Hard to argue with drinking through some great Oktoberfest beers.  There were some definite surprises this year, and a few that performed as expected.  Prost!The Beer List (In alphabetical order)Ayinger Oktober Fest-Märzen -  MärzenBell's Octoberfest Beer - MärzenHacker-Pschorr Oktboberfest Märzen - MärzenHofbräuhaus München Hofbräu Oktoberfestbier - FestbierPaulaner Oktboberfes

Our beer fest tour continues...Last weekend we took our happy selves to Duluth, GA for the Les Bon Beer Festival hosted by our good friends at Good Word Brewing.Good Word always puts on a great event and this highly-curated selection of brewers and oyster farmers was no exception.  We enjoyed a variety of saisons, mixed fermentation brews, and oysters as we chatted with some of the events participants.We always love to learn more about things we don't know about.  Ed Mera of Mera Brothers Oysters joins us to drop some general knowledge on oysters, the impact of hurricanes on oysters, green gills, and merroir.Averie Swanson from Keeping Together tells us about her brewery and the journey from Texas, to Chicago, to New Mexico while educating us all on mixed culture beers.  We get a shot of Underberg to keep our digestion in check, and discuss the wonders of Malort.There are a few people we know well and always have good conversations with.  Orpheus Brewing's Jason Pellett is one of those people.  Jaso

Did you see all the madness going around last week over the rumor that the Biden administration was going to tell Americans they can only have 2 beers a week?  It was crazy and, from what we read, seemed to be an off the cuff comment blown out of proportion, but it made for some good discussion.Larry Horwitz, currently with Crooked Hammock Brewery, but with a long resume, joined us on the show this week.  We learn a bit about his brewery and what they're up to, talk about the changing craft beer industry, and ponder the impact that legal weed has on craft beer.  There's some lager talk, and Larry debunks his nickname of the Light Lager Whisperer, but that doesn't mean he doesn't enjoy them. As part of the Brewers Associations draft beer committee Larry tells us about the challenges facing draft and the "state of the industry" for draft beer.  We also get a great story about (the beer writer) Michael Jackson and peanut butter beer.  Good times.Annnnnnd.... we are now OFFICIALLY ab

Last weekend we hung out with the crew at Terrapin Brewery Atlanta for the Live at the Battery beer fest.  It was an awesome time filled with BBQ, beer, and great conversation.Joining us on the show we had Terrapin co-founder Spike Buckowski and lead brewer Chad Martin.  We covered a lot of ground in our conversation.We discuss the art of whiskey blending.  It's not easy to produce a consistent product, or to put out a new one that's a winner and offers something unique.Spike gives us the scoop on Terrapin's 25th Anniversary beer, BBA Old Snapper Barleywine.  We can't wait to get our hands on some of that one.We open a few Terrapin vintage beers from Brian's cellar and talk about the fortress of wax on Terrapin's early wax-dipped bottles.  Tiramisu Hoo, Cinnamom Roll'd WnB, and a Tart CherryWnB.We reminisce about Belgian beer and how for many of us that was our gateway to the wonderful world of craft.Spike share's info on his travels to Canada and the malty adventures t

Apparently Germany has a raccoon problem.  Drunken ones at that.  The population has exploded in recent years and the furry troublemakers are breaking into homes, tearing stuff, and getting lit.  They sound like they'd be cool to hangout with. We got a new beer style, or do we?  I've been using my skeptical face lately with some of these new beer styles.  Apparently, West Coast Pilsner is a thing.  But it sounds like the flavor isn't what you'd expect from something with "West Coast" in the name.British Brewers battered by Brexit.  In addition to the standard issues facing brewers today it sounds like Brexit is causing grief for some of Britain's brewers.  Many are noting huge losses of export sales due to Brexit, and some are closing.  That'll teach 'em.Billy Busch Wants To Make Bud Light Great Again.  Ol' Billy claimed on a recent interview he'd buy back the brand.  Sounds like just some puffing of the chest for attention, but who even knows these days.

Maui Brewing is leading efforts for wildfire reliefEarlier this week a fire ripped through the town of Lahaina on Maui.  The losses were devastating, a nearly total loss of the entire city.   Maui Brewing is leading the initiative for relief efforts through direct contributions, sharing resources, and starting the Kokua Project for a collaborative brew inspired by Sierra Nevada's Resilience project.  Follow the links below for more info on ways you can support these efforts. TS Restaurants Legacy of Aloha - which will help the affected employees and their familiesMakai Foundation - which will support rebuilding effortsMaui Brewing Fire Fund - which will raise funds to deal with additional needs on the ground. And if you’re a brewery and you would like to sign up to participate in the Kokua Project, you can find out more on the Maui Brewing website.Go to:  MauiBrewingCo.com/kokuaWhat's the price for a case of beer in your state?Beer prices across the country vary greatly.  Taxes, shipping, and other

We had to wing it this week...Unfortunately, our guest had a last minute emergency this week and we'll have to reschedule Larry for another time.  It's cool, we've got this.  We can always talk about beer.Canned Fish and Beer Pairing?One of our latest obsessions is tinned seafood.  Sounds like we're kind of late to the party here but at least we made it to the party.  I've always enjoyed a nice kipper or some tuna salad but there's a whole world out there I had no idea about.  Fish lovers have their own forums, inside jokes, and memes just like beer nerds.  Weirdos.  We offer up some pairing suggestions for those that want to explore this salty world with us.  Grab yourself some deens (that's what the cool kids call sardines) and grab a brew.  If you've got any favorites please let us know.Tilray Buys a Bunch of BreweriesThe big news in beer this week is Tilray's purchase of 8 brands from Anheuser Busch.  There's plenty of debate on whether this is a smart or

Black is Beautiful Vol. 2 is comingMarcus Baskerville of Weathered Souls Brewing didn't intend to start a movement when he created his Black is Beautiful beer.  Intentional or not, the movement happened, with 1,200+ breweries across all 50 states and 22 countries brewery their take on the Imperial Stout.  Vol. 2 is underway, this one will be a NEIPA.National Black Brewers AssociationLess than 1% of the nearly 10,000 craft breweries in the US are black-owned, the National Black Brewers Association (NB2A) aims to change that.  Through raising awareness the organization aims to the number of African Americans in brewing while raising awareness of the African American brewing history, opening more opportunity and resources for black brewers, and much more.  Listen as Marcus shares about the organization and their goals.Seasonal Creep and Pumpkin HateIt's going to happen.  I can't stop it.  But we don't have to like.  Hear our takes on seasonal creep of all things and our exception for a bit of